A tattered umbrella in the rain
Govt has promulgated an ordinance intending to award the death penalty to child rapists when the debate on capital punishment is yet to reach a logical end. The country is witnessing an environment where even the opponents of capital punishment will find it difficult to object. After the brutal rape and murder of an eight year old girl in Kathua, multitude of such cases the are being reported across the country. Newspapers are knocking at the door, their articles filled with rape and murder.
In the Nirbhaya case an adult woman was raped, but now, people are cursed to read the reports of rape of an eight month old female infant. The govt doesn’t seem to have the wherewithal to prevent this. After the Kathua horror, such kind of articles are all you see on the front pages of the papers. Internationally too, it is damaging India’s reputation. International leaders including UN chief, António Guterres are condemning the Govt. of India.
In such trying times, the one way the Govt has found to fend off international criticism is to propagate the said ordinance. This ordinance has evoked mixed responses across the country; particularly the clause that suggests capital punishment for raping the girls under 12.
Is it the assumption of the Govt that raping girls above 12 is okay? What is the difference between brutes who rapes an 11 year old and 13 year old?
The law states that it is a criminal offence to marry a girl below 18 years. Even sex with consent with minors is in the ambit of rape. In such a context is it not a heinous crime if a brute rapes and murders a girl above 12?
Though the extent of punishment for the rape against girls above 12 has been increased, it fails to provide effective punishment to the violence perpetrated.
In a country like India the rape is essentially an attack on the very dignity of a woman. The perpetrator need not be lust filled character. Rape has been used as a tool to destroy the character , personality and deny a woman’s right to live in this country. This is not merely a physical attack, but a psychological attack too. Yes, even if a man’s limbs and hands are severed, he can yet live a dignified life in Indian society.
But if a raped woman tries to lead an honorable life, there are further attacks on her. Our legal system perceives rape as mere physical violence, the culprits manage to escape from the clutches of law easily. But the woman continues to be punished in various manner throughout her life. Whether the accused is punished or not, the society ensures that the victim is punished with a “Life sentence”.
In such a scenario, A rape is part of manslaughter to destroy the right to live and a ruthless design to destroy her individuality and personality. In other words, rape is a much gruesome crime than murder that impacts women. The country has seen how the upper strata had used rape to oppress dalits. Khairlanji is a classic example of such an act. This was not only a crime against a family, but also was a warning, for the rest of the dalit community.
During the Gujarat communal violence, rape was not only inflicted by lustful men. Even in Kathua, the perpetrators of the crime against a hapless child of eight were not only driven by lust, they were also communal fanatics. Their cruel violence was not only against a female, but against a community. Let us not be fooled to believe that after this ordinance, hordes of criminals accused of rape will be hanged in a row.. If we look at the conviction rate of the existing law, we will be deeply disappointed.
It is obvious that law and order has failed miserably in handling sensitive cases like rape. Recently The Govt has tried to dilute an existing Law under the pretext that it is being misused. While the atrocities against Dalits are increasing day by day, the Govt has not deemed it fit to see if the law is being implemented effectively. Instead it is showing unusual haste in diluting the act. With such a context how are we to feel assured that the Govt will push for a serious act for rape too?
Even the judiciary has worried more about misuse of women's safety laws,rather than worrying about its effective implementation.
There is an anti Dowry act, yet has it succeeded in stopping Dowry?
In crimes against children, the case should be registered instantly and the evidence should be collected posthaste. But the country witnessed just how this was thwarted in Kathua. Initially the case was hushed up;The Police had declared that no rape was committed. Only after a special investigation. the horrendous crime was brought to light.
The lawyers had taken to streets and urged that a charge sheet should not be presented against the accused.
In such a society, Is it easy to prove the rape against the children?
When a Govt is indirectly involved in hushing up the crime, and the Prime Minister of a country maintains a studied silence on that, how do we believe that the present Ordinance will be a deterrent to rape in a way?
It is as if the Govt providing a tattered umbrella when it is raining cats and dogs.
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Texas halts H-1B visas at state universities, agencies; to affect Indians
Houston (US) (PTI): Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies and public universities to immediately halt new H-1B visa petitions, tightening hiring rules at taxpayer-funded institutions, a step likely to impact Indian professionals.
The freeze will remain in effect through May 2027.
The directive issued on Tuesday said that the state agencies and public universities must stop filing new petitions unless they receive written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The governor's order, in a red state that is home to thousands of H-1B visa holders, comes as the Trump administration has initiated steps to reshape the visa programme.
“In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa programme, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that programme to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions as outlined in this letter,” Abbot said.
Institutions must also report on H-1B usage, including numbers, job roles, countries of origin, and visa expiry dates, the letter said.
US President Donald Trump on September 19 last year signed a proclamation ‘Restriction on entry of certain non-immigrant workers’ that restricted the entry into the US of those workers whose H-1B petitions are not accompanied or supplemented by a payment of USD 1,00,000.
The H1-B visa fee of USD 1,00,000 would be applicable only to new applicants, i.e. all new H-1B visa petitions submitted after September 21, including those for the FY2026 lottery.
Indians make up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), with China in the second spot. The major fields include technology, engineering, medicine, and research.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the second-highest beneficiary with 5,505 approved H-1B visas in 2025, after Amazon (10,044 workers on H-1B visas), according to the USCIS. Other top beneficiaries include Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
Texas public universities employ hundreds of foreign faculty and researchers, many from India, across engineering, healthcare, and technology fields.
Date from Open Doors -- a comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the US -- for 2022-2023 showed 2,70,000 students from India embarked on graduate and undergraduate degrees in US universities, accounting for 25 per cent of the international student population in the US and 1.5 per cent of the total student population.
Indian students infuse roughly USD 10 billion annually into universities and related businesses across the country through tuition and other expenses – while also creating around 93,000 jobs, according to the Open Doors data.
Analysts warn the freeze could slow recruitment of highly skilled professionals, affecting academic research and innovation.
Supporters say the directive protects local jobs, while critics caution it could weaken Texas’ competitiveness in higher education and research.
The order comes amid broader debate in the US over skilled immigration and state-level interventions in federal programmes.
H-1B visas allow US companies to hire technically-skilled professionals that are not easily available in America. Initially granted for three years, these can be extended for another three years.
In September 2025, Trump had also signed an executive order ‘The Gold Card’, aimed at setting up a new visa pathway for those committed to supporting the United States; with individuals who can pay USD 1 million to the US Treasury, or USD 2 million if a corporation is sponsoring them, to get access to expedited visa treatment and a path to a Green Card.
